Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kanglung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanglung: $103 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kanglung

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kanglung

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Kanglung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $103 in Kanglung.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kanglung $103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $170 in Kanglung.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kanglung $170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $237 in Kanglung.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kanglung $237

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 1075% more expensive than in Kanglung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Kanglung 92% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$206

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$818

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$222

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.9

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.19

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.77

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$93.1

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.53

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.82

$0.49 BTN 46.38

353.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.73

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.59

$1.23 BTN 117

104.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$2.18 BTN 208

233.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$2.14 BTN 204

259.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$2.26 BTN 215

461.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.5

$2.18 BTN 207

27.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.81

$2.16 BTN 206

-36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$48.12

$2.14 BTN 204

19.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$40.05

$2.26 BTN 216

-6.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.56

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.58

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.63

$0.98 BTN 93.7

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.24

$0.97 BTN 92.9

21.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$81.0

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$188

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.87

$1.46 BTN 139

8.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.4

$1.01 BTN 96.5

164.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$502

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.8

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.24

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$389.8K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$442.6K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,599

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$442

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$541

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,076

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$545

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.9

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,897

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$74.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$818

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$782

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,400

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,684

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,184

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$116.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kanglung: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kanglung

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kanglung

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kanglung

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kanglung

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kanglung

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kanglung

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kanglung

–

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇹 Kanglung

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

13:12 1:12 PM

11 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.02 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 95.29 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kanglung 14,680 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kanglung

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Kanglung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $103 in Kanglung, so Kanglung is about 91% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $154 in Kanglung to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 149% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $103 in Kanglung – Kanglung is about 91% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $103 in Kanglung versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kanglung but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Kanglung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.